


Friends, right?

by LivingOutLoud



Series: Your Name on My Skin [6]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M, Movie Night, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, games night, horror movies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-15 23:25:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8077390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivingOutLoud/pseuds/LivingOutLoud
Summary: The gang of the enterprise set up a movie night to show Pavel all about horror movies, and Jim thinks up a plot to get them together, which is less than effective.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A soulmate marks AU where everyone is born with the name of their Soulmates on them. This is a series of Chekov/McCoy oneshots exploring what would happen in a world where you know someone is meant to be your soulmate by their name alone, without knowing anything else about them, and how that stunts Chekov and McCoy’s relationship before it even begins, and the painfully slow journey it takes them to finally accept it. The one-shots will be self-contained snapshots of their changing relationship in chronological order.

            “Come on, Jim!” Bones groaned, “You said we were going to play shuffle board.”

            “After I’m done this game.” Kirk said, not looking up from the chess board.

            “You said that an hour ago.” McCoy groaned.

            “I’m about to win!” Kirk said, motioning toward the board. Spock raised his eyebrow, mid-move.

            “You said that an hour ago, too!”

            McCoy sighed and turned toward the end of the long table, where Chekov was playing solitaire.

            “How can you stand sitting this close to those two?”

            “I’m playing the winner, when they’re done.” Chekov chuckled.

            “You’ll be retired before they finish.” McCoy said, taking the seat across from Chekov. “Let’s play something, if we’re going to wait for them together.”

            “You don’t want to play with me.” Chekov said. He laid down and moved cards so fast, McCoy could barely keep up. “I count cards.”

            “Then don’t.” McCoy said.

            “I don’t try to do it, it just happens.” Chekov said, watching the table, “Like when you count the stairs as you go up them.”

            “I don’t do that.” McCoy scoffed.

            “like when Jim does something stupid, and you tally up all the injuries he’s probably going to get from doing said stupid thing.” Pavel said.

            “Hey!” Jim called from the end of the table.

            “Ah, Now we’re on the same page.” McCoy said. He grabbed a spare deck of cards from the table behind them, then he picked up Chekov’s cards, mid-game and shuffled both decks together. Then he split them in half and put part of them away, so he had approximately one deck of jumbled cards. “Any chance you can count that?” McCoy asked.

            “Maybe in an hour, after I figured out an algorithm.”

            “Perfect, you know crazy eights, kid?” McCoy asked, beginning to deal.

            “I do. House rule: every time you call me kid, you have to pick up two.” Chekov grinned.

            “What am I supposed to call you then? Lieutenant?”

            “You could try Pavel, or Pasha. Pashenka, I suppose but that’s pushing it.”

 

            Half an hour later, Kirk and Spock were still locked in a stalemate, and Sulu, Scotty, and Keenser had somehow joined the game of cards, though it had largely deteriorated into chatting. Which was good, no one noticed how much McCoy was losing by, mostly because of Chekov’s house rule.”

            “How have you never seen a horror movie?” Scotty was looking incredulously at Chekov.”

            “I don’t know, I just haven’t.”

            “You must have, you’ve just forgotten.” Scotty said.

            “Hey, not everyone likes scary movies.” McCoy said.

            “Aww, is our little doctor squeamish of fake blood?”

            “I don’t have a problem with the classics, so long as there’s plot. But I get they’re not for everyone. Like westerns, I love em’, but I know the majority of people don’t.”

            “That’s cause they’re awful.” Keenser piped in.

            “Them’s fighting words.”

            “I’m not saying I don’t like scary movies.” Pavel broke in, “I don’t know if I do, I have literally never seen one.”

            And Scotty was back to staring at the blonde in disbelief.

            “Come on, not even one? The Shining? Swamp thing? Mothra? Dracula?”

            “I have no idea what those things are.” Chekov said, laying down an impressive four cards in a row.”

            “Now, I’ve got to take Scotty’s side, that’s just ridiculous, kiiii-Pavel.” McCoy caught himself, looking sheepishly at Chekov. He raised his eyebrows and McCoy grumbled, picking up yet another two cards. “I mean you have to have seen a zombie movie at least. There’s only about a million of them.”

            “I really haven’t.” Chekov sighed. “And I blame you, Hikaru.”

            “What? How is this my fault?”

            “How many movie nights have we had over the years? I mean we watched all eleven of those Tolkien movies with the elves instead of studying for finals. If horror’s so important to American culture, why didn’t we watch any?”

            “I mean, to be honest, I didn’t really want you crying in my bed cause you got nightmares.”

            Chekov made a vengeful face.

            “Look, it’s more of a teen thing anyway, by the time we’d met, I’d done the whole jump-scare horror thing, I was a bit tired of it in my twenties.”

            “Alright, it doesn’t matter who’s fault it is, we’ll just have to get you caught up now.” McCoy said.

            “Oh yes! Movie night, movie night!” Scotty started chanting. “I can bring some scotch from my still, it’s nearly ready.”

            “And I’ll make nachos!” Hikaru said, “Everyone free this Thursday night?”

            “Hey, Jim, Spock, you in for a horror movie night.”

            “I call dibs on McCoy’s comfy chair.” Kirk said.

            “Wait, who said you can dibs my furniture, and why is it in my room?”

            “Duh, you’ve got the biggest lounge in your quarters.”

            “Check mate.” Spock said.

            “Like hell it is!”

            “Uh, shouldn’t the captain have the largest quarters?” Chekov asked.

            “Oh, god, don’t go in Jim’s quarters. Promise me, kid, if there’s one thing you ever do for me, stay away from his room, it’s terrifying.”

            “Sure thing, Leonard. Just as soon as you pick up two,”

            “God damn it!” McCoy grumbled.

 

            “What in blazes are you wearing?” McCoy said as he let Chekov into his room.

            “There is nothing wrong with this shirt.” Chekov said.

            “If you don’t want people calling you a kid, you probably shouldn’t wear a shirt with a brontosaurus on it.”

            “Don’t be ridiculous, it’s a brachiosaurus.” Chekov said, sounding offended but smiling at Leonard. He handed the man a bowl of chips and walked further into the room. “Where’s everyone else?”

            Scotty was sitting on McCoy’s couch, Keenser on his lap. McCoy was rearranging snacks and drinks on the coffee table.

            “Jim said he’d be here soon as he finished something on the bridge.” Scotty chimed in, a little too chipper for McCoy’s liking.

            “That sounds fake. And Spock and Uhura are busy tonight, for real.”

            “Oh yeah, it’s that time of the year. I forgot.” Chekov said casually.

            “Why do you know about Pon Far?” McCoy questioned.

            “Hikaru. You?”

            “I’m his doctor. Anyway, they’re MIA, I have no clue where Sulu is.”

            “He can’t make it either. One of us had to cover a shift for Birkley, and he offered to take it so I could come.”

            “I guess it’s just the four of us then. What’re we going to watch?” Scotty asked.

            “I was thinking Texas Chainsaw Massacre, if no one objects. Might as well start with a classic.”

            “I love that one.” Keenser replied.

            McCoy sent a quick com to Kirk, saying they were starting, but he didn’t expect an answer back. Something told him the man was up to his old tricks. Which, really could be anything.

            Fifteen minutes into the movie, when Chekov had finally settled comfortably between Scotty and Leonard on the couch and stopped squirming, Scotty stood up.

            “I’ve just realized, I forgot the scotch. I’ve just finished the batch in the still and I was going to bring some.”

            That’s when McCoy knew something was up. “It’s fine, I’ve got beer in the fridge.”

            “No, no, I really ought to bring some up for you two to try. It’ll only take me a minute.”

            Scotty motioned for Keenser to follow.

            “Surely, he can stay, if you’ll only need a minute.”

            “Well, it really is easier with someone to help.” Scotty said, Keenser sneaking his way to the door behind the Scotsman.

            McCoy rolled his eyes in disbelief. Jim probably put him up to this. Probably put Sulu up to it too. And what made him even angrier was Chekov’s quiet little “see you soon.” To the other men. The door closed behind them and all the kid did was grab the bowl of pretzels and shuffle over to Keenser’s spot, where he could stretch out more.

            “He’s not coming back.”

            “Nope.” Chekov said, a mouth full of pretzels.

            Leonard paused the movie. “You realize this was all their elaborate plan to get us together, right?”

            “Yep.” Chekov ate another handful of pretzels.

            “And you’re fine with that?” McCoy was fuming. He had half a mind to march right up to the bridge and tell Jim just why.

            “Yep.” His big blue eyes turned toward McCoy.

            “What do you mean yep?”

            “They’re our friends and they mean well.” Chekov sighed into a smile, “Even if their idea of helping is an ill-conceived and thinly veiled plot to make us watch a movie together, like it’ll do something.”

            “And how aren’t you fuming at that?” McCoy growled.

            “How can you be? Isn’t it exhausting being as angry as you are at literally everything?”

            “I’m not angry at everything!”

            Then Chekov was giggling at his outburst. “Look, Leonard, I was looking forward to having a movie night with friends, turning off the lights and jumping at every scary noise. I never did that as a kid and it sounds fun. I thought you were looking forward to it too?”

            “I was. I mean, I am.” Leonard leaned back on the couch and sighed.

            “So let’s have a fun night as friends. That’s what we are, right?”

            “Yeah,”

            “And let’s do what you always do with the captain’s ill-conceived plans. Quietly humour him till they go down in flames, then go on the record saying I told you so.”

            McCoy laughed. “That’s not what I do.”

            “Yes it is, you two are an old married couple.” Chekov laughed, reaching for the remote to restart the movie.

            “Well, we’re still better than you and Sulu.” Leonard said, turning the lights back off.

            Chekov stretched out sideways on the couch, socked feet near McCoy’s thighs and started the movie. McCoy grabbed the popcorn, looking expectantly at the blonde in the darkness of the room.

            “I’m not going to deny it, I know we’re terrible.” He said with a smirk. They both turned back to the screen at the crescendo of music. “Leonard.” Chekov said, softer than before.

            “Yeah, Pavel.”

            “Now that everyone is gone and it’s just the two of us…”

            McCoy turned away from the screen, his wide eyes meeting Chekov’s.

            “Can we turn on Russian subtitles? I can’t understand a thing these people are saying.”

            McCoy cracked a smile. “What are you talking about? I’ve got a thicker accent than the actors.”

            “And do I ever understand you?” Chekov said.

            Bones started laughing so hard he nearly fell off the couch. Pavel just tapped the controls and turned on the subtitles, smiling to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks everyone who's been reading this collection and enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing it. 
> 
> A few notes about Russian nicnames here, Pasha is a diminutive of Pavel. which would be used by friends. Pashenka is more of a pet name that would be used by family or lovers, and in this AU, soulmates. I don't know Russian, by the way, This is all thanks to google, so if I'm doing it wrong, please let me know how to fix it. 
> 
> And for a bit of fun, this is the dinosaur shirt Chekov has on. He wears it quite a lot in his off times. He has some space ones too. https://www.themountain.com/brachiosaurus-t-shirt/


End file.
